We get to carry each other
by IThinkIJustGleedMyself
Summary: A/U - Rachel is excited to begin singing lessons with one Finn Hudson, only her new student isn't exactly what she expected.


**All the fics I'm writing at the minute are pretty angsty, so I just needed to write something fluffy and happy, so this is how this fic happened! It's based off a scene in the episode Laryngitis, but is obviously AU :)**

**Thank you to my wonderful Lucy for beta'ing.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

She peers down at the address in her hands once more, then back up to the large house staring back at her. Rachel likes to think that she isn't nervous (a future star should really have conquered that ill feeling of nerves before breaking into the biz) but she can't help the little butterflies fluttering away in her stomach. Still, she's eager as ever to help out a fellow human being, and when of the nurses at the hospital that she volunteers at mentioned a patient who wants singing lessons, she couldn't just ignore that. She may not be a professional, but she's Rachel Berry – that's just as good, if not _better_.

So she'd quickly made arrangements to help out one Finn Hudson, sure that her first try as a teacher will go swimmingly, with her stunning expertise and her student's clear passion for the subject. She smiles to herself, a bounce in her step as she advances toward the front door. With three, loud knocks, she daintily hops backwards, waiting for a reply.

Not moments later, a kind faced woman appears, creases forming in the corners of her eyes as she smiles. "You must be Rachel."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs Hudson," she beams on cue, thrusting out her hand for the woman to take. Though a little surprised by her eagerness, she still takes it, inviting her inside. Rachel follows her into the family home, eyes wandering through the open space with a small smile to her lips. "You have a lovely home," Rachel says genuinely.

"Thank you, dear," Mrs Hudson smiles, "I'll just go and tell Finn that you're here."

Rachel nods, and watches as she disappears down the hallway. In the meantime, the girl occupies herself with peering through the bundles of photographs strewn through the entrance. Most of them are of the same dark haired boy, growing through the years into a teenager, wearing the identical dimples and half-sided smile. "So, you're Finn," she announces to herself. In the last picture, he's standing next to (or more _towering_ over) his mother, clad in a football jersey and she finds herself thinking how adorably proud he looks.

She wonders why he's a patient at the hospital – her friend had mentioned something about a football accident, but being something of a novice in that field, she doesn't really know how bad they get.

"He's ready for you." She spins at the sound of Mrs Hudson's voice, watching as the woman's eyes move down to the picture she's just been staring at, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "Just through here."

"Okay," Rachel says, suddenly timid. And those nerves are definitely back, much to her annoyance. She clutches at her pink CD player that little bit tighter, letting Mrs Hudson lead her into the room.

At first, Mrs Hudson blocks most of the bed, so she doesn't see Finn. Instead, she glances around the large, spacious room, where everything is neatly kept, including even more football memorabilia. Typical teenage boy, she thinks. Though the not so typical aspect of his room is the cowboy wallpaper, which she smiles at, too.

And then his mom moves out of the way and she finally gets a glimpse of her new student. He's lay in the bed, sheets covering up to his chest, with this tired, dopey expression adorning his face. He looks nervous, as well – she can tell by his eyes. She wonders what he notices through her eyes...

"Hey," he greets quietly.

She blinks out of her thoughts, sending a blinding smile his way. Rachel moves forward a couple of steps. "Hello Finn. I can't tell you how excited I am to begin our lessons. By the end of my tutoring, I'm sure that you'll be excelling with your voice." Her smile grows brighter; if possible, "I have been readying myself for a future on Broadway since before I could even walk." She cuts herself short, knowing that they can't waste most of the session talking about her, though it does sound awfully tempting.

Finn just sort of _blinks, _and she purses her lips – perhaps he ought to be a _tad_ more enthusiastic, but hey, she likes a challenge.

"I'll leave you to it."

"Okay, thank you Mrs Hudson," she turns.

The woman smiles, "call me Carole, sweetie."

Rachel returns the smile, nodding. Once it's just her and Finn, she spins on her heels to face him properly, where now the nervousness has spread through to his entire expression. Admittedly, she feels it once more but, ever the professional, she pushes on. "Alright," she breathes out, eyes widening with eagerness, "I wasn't quite sure what music I should bring, so I brought a wide selection that should tend to your preferences." She gently places down her bedazzled CD player, and then reaches for the CDs inside her bag, "so you can just look through these and choose one."

"Good idea," he praises when he sees the large amount of things she's brought. Rachel holds out the stack of CDs, waiting expectantly for him to take them.

He doesn't.

She raises her eyebrows in question, and all Finn does is give this really sheepish look, adding a slight hint of confusion.

"Well..." She starts; the CDs aren't going to look through themselves.

Finn's peering toward her like she's crazy, twisting his neck ever so slightly. She notices how the rest of his body doesn't move and – _oh_. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she quickly blurts out. "I didn't even..." she tries, "I -" She feels her stomach drop in embarrassment over the fact that she didn't realize he's _paralyzed_, and in being so, he's not exactly going to take the CDs from her. Rachel hides her face behind her hands, where it's much safer and she won't be faced with Finn's annoyed expression.

How could she _not_ notice? For someone who prides herself on her intelligence, this instance certainly isn't a credit to that. All she knew was that he'd been in a football accident, so she just assumed that he had a broken arm or leg – not something this serious and now she's completely shown herself up in the first five minutes of their greeting.

"It's okay," his gentle voice lulls her from her thoughts.

"No it's not!" she muffles – her face is still protected by her hands, including the tint of humiliation to her cheeks. "I should've done a little more background on your... your _condition_ before I arrived today. I can't apologize enough."

He lets out a sigh, though not a sad one. Just... a _sigh_. "Yes, you can." Silence. "Now, can you come out of hiding? I'm not like, offended or anything."

Rachel dares to peek through her fingers, where she finds him _smiling_. This coaxes her into tugging her hands the entire way down, instead using them to smooth out her polka dot dress. She looks down, sure that she's still blushing with embarrassment. He clears his throat, dragging her attention back up to him. "I'm -" The apologies once more start to fly out.

Finn quickly puts an end to them. "Rachel, chill out. You were kind of busy talking about yourself, and music and er, the CDs." Okay, that makes her feel better – only _slightly_. "And between you and me, I kind of like that you didn't notice straight away." She tilts her head to the side, "I dunno, it made me feel like... me. Not the guy who got into the football accident, you know?"

It touches her, it really does, and a smile tugs at her lips. Embarrassed or not, she will push on and continue the lesson. Besides, a distraction will be much welcomed. "So, um," she momentarily bites at her lower lip, "how about I show you what songs there are and we can go from there?" She gingerly picks up the CDs from where she's placed them on the dark bed sheets.

"Sure," he responds, seemingly happy to move on, too.

With a small peer around the room, she takes the chair that sits beside the bed, pulling it as close as possible before sitting down. She leans so that her body sits next to Finn's, elbow leaning against the mattress, while he talks about his favorite bands. And then she realizes that this is the closest that she's been to a boy her age that _isn't_ Jacob Ben Israel, those butterflies returning with a vengeance. At one point, she inches closer to point to one of the songs, and their shoulders brush. She recoils as though she's just been burned; making some lame excuse about thinking that she's seen a spider.

He believes her, somehow, laughing it off.

"Hey, so... could you maybe sing something first?" he avoids her gaze entirely, "'cause I just, I dunno, I like singing but I've never really sang in front of anyone. Well, not anyone who's really good at singing. I'm – uh, oh God... I'm a little nervous."

Rachel finds herself endeared by the way he stumbles over his words, much in the way that she had upon her slight misunderstanding, and her smile grows. "Of course," she stands up, ready to perform at any given moment, "what do you want me to sing?"

The way that his face brightens up makes her heart swell – and Rachel can't help thinking that she'd really like to feel like that again. "Hmm." Finn's face scrunches up as he thinks, she notices, "well there's _defying gravity_. I know that 'cause my Mom's boyfriend's son sings it in the shower all the time." His eyes widen, "not that I'm in the shower with him but I – he's really loud and... wait that sounds wrong."

"_Defying gravity_ it is!" She stops him before he digs – or more _talks_ – himself into a hole. Reaching forward, she takes the CD from the bed and places it into the player, taking a couple of deep breaths as she sets herself up for the perfect performance. When she turns, Finn is staring at her, waiting with that same smile – at least if he doesn't turn out to be the greatest singer, she can always count on him to be a good audience member.

And then as the music begins, she does what's become second nature to her. With an imaginary spotlight on her, she _sings_. As she spends a lot of the song with her eyes closed – to allow her to _feel_ the words true meaning without visual distractions – she doesn't see the look of unrivalled awe that maintains Finn's expression for the duration of the piece. It holds right up until her last note, where her eyes then open, slightly misty yet still as eager as ever. "Wow," Finn breathes as Rachel gives a small curtsey, head bowing modestly. "Did I say that you were just 'good'? You're... you're wow."

"Thank you very much," she eats up the compliment, "I'm going to be on Broadway one day."

Now, upon hearing that comment – or inevitability as Rachel knows – most people roll their eyes, especially her classmates, but Finn grins. "Yeah, I know... you could like, originate a role or something."

"Well, that is number fifteen on my life ambitions list," she smiles, settling herself in the chair once again. Finn chuckles, sweet naturedly so, Rachel feeling instantly at ease within his presence. "So, it's your turn now," she encourages.

"I'm still a little nervous," he admits.

"Oh hush," she waves it off, "nerves are only natural. And I'm not going to judge you, Finn. As you've already seen today, if either of us ought to be embarrassed, it should be me."

_There_! He did it again – that damn lopsided smile. "Nah, just forget about it."

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, and then looks to him expectantly. "Come on, what song are you singing?" He hesitates, "you're the one who wanted singing lessons."

"I do," Finn insists.

"Then _sing_," she instructs. Leaning over to the CD player, she finds a song that he's sure to know. The instrumental of _Can't fight this feeling any more_ starts, and she watches as Finn's eyes light up. She half expects him to miss his cue, or to just completely chicken out, but _surprisingly_, his soft voice soon starts to fill the room. As it grows with confidence, so does her smile grow, encouragingly so.

The more she listens, the more she realizes that he isn't just some average singer – or below average as she'd feared. He's... he's really _good. _And Rachel finds herself transfixed by Finn Hudson as he puts his all into each word. At one point, their eyes meet, locking together in what only can be described in a magical moment of intense emotion.

At that moment, Rachel Berry falls for Finn Hudson, and boy does she fall _hard_.

The song ends, regretfully, because she honestly wants to just let his voice sweep her off her feet for the next forty minutes of the session, but she forces herself to get it together. She smiles, and then claps, watching a bashful Finn accept her compliments. "Finn, you're amazing!" He disagrees. "No, seriously, you're _talented_. I would know, I'm very talented, too." She gives him a knowing look. "Now, next song!"

By the time the session is over, she gathers her things as she gets ready to leave, finally turning back to Finn. "Same time next week?"

"I'll be here," he replies, and she's sure that she hears the slightest amount of sadness in his voice. She smiles a goodbye, slowly headed from the room.

She's already counting down the seconds until next Wednesday.

* * *

"So I thought that today we could do a little soft rock," she begins primly at the start of the session, "I was talking to your Mom and she says that you like that, so I took the liberty of going through my Ipod for anything of that description and I made you a CD with lots of songs that we can try." Her words come out as a long blur, partially from excitement, and the other part for her nerves.

Over the last couple of weeks, her initial crush on Finn hasn't burnt out, like so many others have, but instead it's grown in size, as though someone threw gasoline on the flames of her heart.

"You were talking to my Mom about me?" he asks, perfecting the deer caught in the headlights look.

Rachel gives a light laugh, "yes. She always asks me how things went just before I leave. Last week I just asked her what songs you like." She shrugs, not understanding why it's such a big deal, before fidgeting excitedly, "I think you're going to really like what I have prepared."

As Finn smiles the dimples, that she'd only noticed last week appear, adorably so. She smiles, too. "Awesome." Rachel begins to take out her home-made CD as he clears his throat, his expression decidedly more serious than moments ago. It makes her give pause. "I forgot to say it the other couple of times, but... uh, thank you for doing this Rachel. I know that you didn't have to."

"I'm happy to help anyone who intends to stand out in the arts. As someone who's extremely gifted, I think it's my duty -"

"But," he cuts across her, and she's annoyed – for about a second, until that smile returns – "I really appreciate it." Now, she feels her thoughts run dry; the only thing going through her mind is that she's happy she decided to do this, too. Hesitation tugs at Finn's expression, but in the end the words make their way through, "and it's nice to have different company. I mean, my Mom is great, don't get me wrong... she's just not..."

"I understand," she nods profusely, brimming with sympathy, "it really can't be easy." Rachel can't even begin to imagine what Finn's been through, and she wonders how he copes with living in the same room, practically every day, unable to even control his own body. To her, it sounds like torture – she rarely ever does nothing. Knowing that each second counts, Rachel puts her everything into productivity – how else is she going to get to the level of other Broadway greats?

"Do you remember it? The accident – I mean." The words slip out before she even thinks about stopping them, and they both seem a little taken aback by the question.

But Finn, rather than shy away from it, takes a steady breath, eyes rising to meet hers. "It was a Friday night, and the last game of the season. We were all excited, you know, we wanted to prove one last time that we were good at something." He gives his famous half smile, though this time she thinks so because he's torn on whether to smile or not, "football was the thing I was good at." Rachel finds herself etching closer, completely drawn in.

"So the game was going well; I'd even scored a touchdown" - they smile in unison -, "and I thought I was gonna get another but then... everything went black." Finn pauses now, face pulling painfully as he lives through the events again, and Rachel feels herself leaning forward, hand resting gently over his. She knows that he can't feel it, but the gesture is worth something, right? "And then I woke up in hospital. My Mom looked so sad, telling me that some huge guy knocked me unconscious on the field. It was... _surreal_. I kind of felt like I was in a different body and everything was wrong... it's almost been a year now, but sometimes I still feel like that. And I hate being so dependent on people, you know. I _hate_ it." His eyes shimmer over with tears, but he tries his hardest to keep them back, "and I'd give anything to just... to be able to get up and _walk_ around."

Rachel squeezes his hand, as is nature, and pushes down the lump in her throat. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Finn," she says honestly – she wouldn't even wish that upon her worst enemy.

"Don't be," he bounces back to his usual self, though she knows he's only just repressing the sadness and all those other feelings. "You can't change the past, can you?"

"No," she replies quietly, another question popping into her mind. She first thinks about it this time, then dares to ask, "so below your shoulders you can't feel... _anything_?"

"I can feel your hand on mine," he replies, causing Rachel's gaze to shoot down to it, confusion slipping into her expression as she tugs it away.

She stares at Finn, "how?"

He peers downwards, as though missing her hand, or so she tells herself. "I can feel things. I just – I can't move anything. At first I couldn't feel anything either, but then it started to come back. Slowly, but hey I'm not complaining."

"You're a very brave person, Finn," she praises with a gentle smile and, for a moment, he looks like he believes her.

* * *

She practically runs up to the Hudson home, muttering to herself about how unfair the education system is. Carole greets her with a smile as usual, though doesn't question as to why she's late, and Rachel breezes past her to burst into Finn's room.

He looks up in surprise as Rachel smiles toward him, letting out a breathless, "hi."

"You okay?" he asks, "you were supposed to be here like, thirty minutes ago."

"I know," she gives a dramatic sigh, dropping herself to the usual seat beside his bed, "I got _detention_!"

Finn's eyebrows rise, face bemused, "_you_?"

"It's not funny," she insists with a huff, "and to think, I only got it because I was trying to do some good in the world."

"Alright," he begins, still resisting the urge to chuckle at her melodramatic attitude. "What happened?"

"Well," she delves, almost jumping out of her seat as she speaks, oh so passionately, "I skipped _one_ period to attend an animal rights protest, because nothing makes me more sick that the exploitation of _poor, defenseless animals, _and then when I explained that to my teacher he told me that Geography is more important than my cause. Obviously, I had to say something. If I don't stick up for our fellow creatures, who will? So naturally I told him that I'd happily do it again, rather than spend my time in a cold, stuffy classroom with a teacher who barely knows his way around the school, never mind the rest of the world." She gives out a long, drawn sigh, "_apparently,_ you can't talk to teachers like that."

Finn takes a few seconds to absorb her long speech, lips curving further upwards each time. "Well, you really showed him, huh?" And then he lets out a low laugh that somehow coaxes Rachel out of her grumpy mood and into a more eased one.

"Some people are just selfish," she mumbles.

"Yeah," Finn agrees.

Rachel suddenly realizes that she's wasting even further time of the session, and they've only got limited minutes left! "_Anyway_, travesties aside, we should focus on you."

A bright smile grows on his face, "okay." Before she can get a word in, he speaks quickly, though with hesitance, too. "So I hope you don't mind but I looked up a few songs myself. Well, my Mom helped me, but I found some good ones... well, I think they're good."

Her brows rise in surprise, pleasantly so, and she stops herself from where she was setting things up to turn around and look at Finn. "You did?" she asks, excitement lacing her voice – she's certainly not used to people helping her with things. In most school projects, it's her that has to take the lead, though normally it ends in her doing the bulk, if not all, of the work. She doesn't mind, honestly; it's just further preparation for the future, but she admits that it feels nice to have someone else genuinely interested for once.

She sits herself down on the chair again, more calmly than moments ago. "There's a list," he uses his head to gesture toward the bedside table, where the piece of paper waits patiently for her to pick up. With a bright smile, she does so, eyes momentarily lifting to meet Finn's with an immense amount of pride at how seriously he's taking these lessons. Yet another reason why her crush is justified.

"Hmm, _Journey, U2, Coldplay_ – these should go well with your voice." She comments as her gaze rolls down the list, written neatly in his mother's curvy handwriting. "_Queen_ is good, too." Rachel's smile grows. Sure, it's not a list of her favorite songs, most of which are power ballads and Broadway classics, but they are classics in their own right.

"You think?" he questions, a little anxiously.

"Of course!" she exclaims, her hand finding its place on his shoulder, "you know, you're a _really_ good student, Finn."

He looks down, a small blush to his cheeks that makes her chest swell and pulse race away. "Well, you're a really good teacher." At this, she beams. "Have you ever done anything like this before?"

"Sort of." Rachel pulls a face, "my last few students, if you would call them that, were just some friends from glee and, um, my services may have been a little... _unwanted_ I suppose."

"Oh." Then adds, "sorry."

"It's alright," she begins primly, "I'm used to facing adversity. And besides, when I'm famous they're going to regret the day they ever said no to Rachel Berry." As an afterthought, she adds decidedly more forlornly, "Besides, my Dads say that you hardly ever keep touch with your friends that you make in High School." If she could call them friends.

"What about me?" he asks jokingly, "we're friends, right?"

This causes Rachel to smile, blinding him with her happiness. "That we are," she nods, bowing her head slightly as she bites her lower lip. And it's odd, because she met him merely weeks ago and yet she already feels like she's closer to him than anyone from her High School. Sometimes she almost wishes that he could go with her, so that maybe she'll feel comfortable walking the halls, and instead not be on a constant alert for the jocks and cheerleaders who seem ever intent on making her life a living hell.

"Rach?"

She blinks at the sound of Finn's soft voice, eyes focusing to see his signature smile. Her heart swoons, managing out a sweet, "hmmm?"

"Do you wanna get started then?" he suggests, "we've only got like, twenty minutes left before you have to go."

Rachel glances toward the clock that ticks away, each second meaning less time with Finn. With a small gasp, she realizes that she's now wasted ten minutes of opportune singing time, and quickly reprimands that, starting Finn off with one of the _Journey_ songs he's suggested.

* * *

The mood seems slightly tense one Wednesday afternoon as she occupies her place by the bed, and Finn sings for her. He's good – he's _always_ good – but she can tell that there's something bothering the boy. As she'd arrived, she'd caught him staring outside at the rain with a pitiful expression, one that she quickly wanted erased away.

Right now, it's slightly better, yet the minute he finishes his last note and tries to smile, she notes how it doesn't reach his eyes in the normal way. She gives a moment's pause, which in turn worries Finn. Without fail, Rachel has some sort of comment for his singing, whether it be constructive or approval; usually a mixture of both. Today, her deep brown eyes bore thoughtfully down on him.

He's the first to break the silence. "So, was it good?"

"It was great," she smiles, the clears her throat gently, "however you did seem a little...distracted." As ever, curiously melts into her expression, "is everything okay with you, Finn?"

He grows sheepish at being found out, and barely ten minutes into their session – it's like he's an open book to her. Reluctance floods over his features, which then pull tightly together. "My Mom's been dating this guy for a while now, and I think she wants to...move in with him." She nods, mouthing dropping open in realization. "He's cool and everything, and he's got a son my age, but I still kind of feel like..." He thoughtfully chews at his lower lip, and then shakes his head, "nah, it doesn't matter."

"Of course it does!" she insists, scooting that little bit closer to Finn, "it's not healthy to just plug up all your feelings. Come on, I'm your friend – you can tell me."

"Hmmm." He lets a small smile slip through the cracks of his armor, Rachel's encouraging expression causing it to grow. She waits expectantly. "So it sounds stupid – really, really stupid – but it's like we're betraying my dad, you know?" Well, she wasn't expecting that. Still, her hand finds his and holds it tightly.

"It's not stupid," she insists, "I'm sure that this can't be an easy situation for you, watching your Mom be like that with another man."

He nods, _finally_ glad that there's somebody who understands, "I want her to be happy – I really do, but it's just _hard_. I mean, I don't want Burt to just replace my Dad." He sighs, "I really don't know how I feel about all of this."

"That's completely okay," she assures him, "if I had to go through the same thing, I'm sure I'd feel your conflicts."

"Really?" he asks.

"Oh absolutely – this isn't easy to deal with, for you or your mother, but maybe you should tell her how you feel?" She gives him a hesitant smile, "I mean, you can't downright tell her to stop seeing him, because that's not fair, but she might slow the relationship a little, to give you time to adjust?"

"You don't think that she'll be annoyed at me?"

"No," Rachel shakes her head gently, "not at all. Finn, you were just a baby when he died. You never really had a chance to get to know your father and now it feels like his place in your home is threatened – but that's _okay_."

Finn stares ahead thoughtfully as he mulls over her words, eyebrows slowly locking together. In turn, she finds her attention drawn to their joined hands, smiling absently at the sight of it. The silence soon becomes noticeable as, for once, she doesn't take the forefront and maintain conversation, but instead lets Finn consider her words. Soon enough, without even looking, she knows that he's moved his gaze toward her, feeling it burn the side of her cheek. Sensing more alert than ever, she tries to ignore the shivers that shoot through her body.

She draws in a deep breath, sighing it out, before she pulls her eyes upwards to meet Finn's own worried ones. "Thank you," he says quietly.

"You're welcome," is her equally quiet reply. Then she smiles, "what are friends for?" And despite his confusion over the whole situation, he manages to return the sentiment.

* * *

The heat is sweltering as she walks the usual route to Finn's house, sporting a short yellow dress, with small ruffles, and a matching headband in her dark, curled locks. She fans herself as she waits for Carole to answer the door, breathing out a puff of air over her face. Once the door opens, revealing an equally warm Carole, the pair engage in their usual small chatter on the way to Finn's room. Only, she realizes that the woman isn't leading her into Finn's room, and instead past where it is (it's completely empty, she notices) and through the open kitchen into the back yard.

As soon as she spies him, sat on the small patio area in the wheelchair she's never seen him use before, her face brightens. He quickly returns the sentiment, eyes glancing over her outfit in a way that makes her cheeks turn pink. She chews on her lip lightly, dropping her own gaze in a rare moment of shyness, before mumbling a sweet, "hi."

"Hey," he responds, head tilting the other way. Rachel steps closer to the set of table and chairs, finding herself shaded from the sun by the large umbrella. "It's too warm in my room," he explains, "so my Mom brought me out here. I hope you don't mind?"

"Of course not!" she says, sitting herself down across from him, "it's a wonderful day." She glances around at the bright garden with a soft, content smile on her face, basking in the beautiful weather.

Finn looks at Rachel in very much the same way. "It is," he agrees, opening his mouth to say something else just as Carole reappears from the house with some drinks for the two of them. She happily takes hers, thanking her and then returning her attention to Finn once they're alone again. He peers down toward his own drink just as she's sipping the sweet liquid.

Their eyes meet, and he instantly looks away. Her smile remains, before she rises and slips into the seat beside him. "Here," she starts softly, lifting his glass for him and holding the straw to his lips. Rachel finds herself hypnotized by the movement of them as he drinks the lemonade, almost as though entranced by it. She blinks, shaking her head at something so silly – and hoping that Finn hasn't noticed – then pulls away the drink.

"Thanks."

"No problem," she struggles to get out, all of a sudden feeling at a loss of breath.

* * *

He's nervous about something, she knows. But this time, it's not bad – or at least she doesn't think so. Finn's just giving her these looks that she can't decipher, occasionally his eyes darting between her and his bed sheets, smacking his lips together anxiously.

It doesn't take her long to get it out of him.

"My Mom and Burt are going out this Friday," he begins, and she nods. Things seem to be going well on that front, ever since Finn and his Mom spoke about the whole situation; it makes her happy to see Finn happy with it. "They usually stay here," Finn continues, "because someone has to stay with me, you know, in case there's something wrong. But – I guess... I wanted my Mom to go on a _real_ date.

"So I may have told her that you agreed to stay with me," he lets out slowly, features scrunching up slightly.

At first, she doesn't say anything, letting the realization sink in. _Finn wants to spend time with her_ – and not as in singing lessons, but genuinely spending time together, just the two of them alone in his house. Despite herself, she feels her heart beginning to speed up, and she doesn't even bother to fight back her smile.

This reassures him, so much that she can physically see him let out the breath he's been holding. He really is adorable. But at the same time her silence leaves that anxiety returning to him just as quickly, and he seems to misinterpret the surprised expression. "Look, I know I should have asked you first but I just figured -"

"It's fine," she holds up a hand to silence him, adding another smile. "And I'd love to," Rachel announces eagerly, inwardly cringing when she thinks she might sound a little _too_ eager.

Thankfully, he's grinning widely, too.

"Awesome!" he announces, "we'll have fun, I promise."

"I'm sure it will be."

* * *

By the time Friday night comes, she feels sick with nerves as she steps out of her Daddy's car, blowing him a kiss goodbye, before she takes the usual path up to the Hudson household. Tonight she's dressier than usual, her hair curled into perfection and she's wearing a light layer of make-up.

_It's not a date_; she has to remind herself - over and over. But it _feels_ like one. Or she's sure this is how you're supposed to feel before a date, anyway, seeing as though she's never been on one. She takes a deep breath, and then knocks on the door. Not seconds later Carole opens, herself styled in a sleek black dress, smiling brightly. "You look wonderful," Rachel compliments as she steps inside.

"Thank you, Rachel," she says happily, "and thank you for agreeing to watch over Finn. I'm sure he'll tell you if he needs anything, but I'll only be gone for a couple of hours." Rachel can hear the nerves in her voice, probably from leaving Finn for the first time in a while, "I've left some money so that you can order some food if you like, and just to warn you, Finn eats like a horse," - she can't help but giggle at that - "but have a good night and please, look after him."

"I will," she nods with a smile, "he's in good hands."

"I don't doubt that, sweetie," Carole nods, looking toward Rachel with a knowing look.

By the time that Carole's been picked up by Burt, and she's ordered some Chinese food for her and Finn to share, the house is comfortably still, with her in her usual spot by Finn. He keeps sending her these looks when he thinks she's not looking, and not so subtly pretending that he doesn't. It makes Rachel smile, though she doesn't bring it up.

Finn happily changes the subject, "so do you wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Uh, yeah!" she agrees, though with slight reluctance – she doubts that Finn owns any of the genres of movies that she's typically interested in. He realizes that, too, apologizing with that half smile, as though he should be _sorry_ for not being stocked up on musicals. Rachel puts him to silence with a shake of the head and a hand on his shoulder, before she moves over to his DVD case, rifling through the collection.

They eventually decide on _Pirates of the Caribbean_, after some playful back and forth comments about the amount of car movies he has (honestly, she doesn't understand the appeal of it _at all_) and she practically skips back to her seat once the movie's in.

Then she catches Finn giving her those looks again.

"What?" she asks, no longer able to ignore.

"You can't be comfy there," he starts, eyes drifting over the seat, where she has to crane her neck to the side to see properly. Admittedly, it isn't the best thing in the world, but she'll make do.

"It's fine," she insists.

But Finn raises an eyebrow, making it clear that he knows she's lying. "Come on, I've sat on there before. It made my butt all numb!"

"Charming, Finn," she rolls her eyes, though tugs her lower lip between her teeth in thought.

"Sit on the bed."

"_What_?" Her hearts sets off beating erratically at the thought of sitting next to Finn, so close to him that they'd be _touching_. Rachel internally squeaks, overwhelmed by her thoughts.

Her face must be a picture, because Finn starts laughing. "Don't worry, I don't bite." And then his eyes move down to the extra space beside him, where she'd easily fit in. She hesitates, yet it takes no more than ten more seconds of coaxing from Finn for her to move up and onto the soft mattress. She sits over the covers, awkwardly at first – then she lets her guard down, subconsciously leaning into his warm body.

She tries to focus her attention on the movie, she really does, but being so near to Finn has her excited and anxious at the same time, so much that she's hardly able to keep still. If Finn notices, he doesn't say anything about it. But soon enough, she finds herself more content that nervous. When the food arrives, she reluctantly drags herself from the room to get it, returning with two plates and the full bag of things Finn had wanted.

Rachel quickly fills his plate, mindful of not letting anything fall off onto his bed sheets, before she realizes that she's going to have to be the one to feed him. She doesn't mind, but she hopes that it's not going to be awkward.

"Help me sit up a little more?" he asks timidly.

Rachel nods, stepping closer as she wonders how to do so. Gingerly, she places her arms around his chest, as though embracing him in a hug, then gives one large tug upwards on his body, shifting him further up in the bed. It seems to do the job, and she pulls away only with the slightest blush to her cheeks. "Thanks," he gives his usual half smile, which Rachel returns as she readjusts the pillows for him.

"No problem," she breathes, feeling the thickness of the air between them. "You hungry?"

"Starving," he grins, and just like that things feel back to normal again, Rachel trying to forget how good Finn's chest felt against hers. The pink hue to her cheeks remains, even as she goes to pick up his food. He licks his lips when she sits down on the bed again with it, body straight while she fills a forkful for him. Their eyes meet, Finn giving her a reassuring look, before she feeds it to him slowly. It doesn't feel as weird as she'd thought – in fact, there's something oddly intimate about it. The slow movements, the lingering stares, and the way that everything else in the room seems to disappear around them.

At one point, she accidentally gets some sauce on his chin, apologizing quickly before rushing to get a paper towel. She wets it slightly under the faucet then returns to his room, growing sheepish in expression. "This won't happen again," she begins, leaning closer into his once she's sat down. Her hand rests on his arm to keep herself upright as she gently washes away the dark, sticky sauce.

"It's fine," he breathes, eyes watching her every movement. At the sound of his voice, she peers upwards, staring into the hazel brown of them, and suddenly smiling. Finn has really pretty eyes.

"You alright?" he asks sweetly, when she must've been staring for a good couple of minutes.

She blinks. "Uh huh," and then unwillingly moves away from Finn, moving to get her own dinner now that he's finished. They turn the movie back on while she has her own dinner. Once she's got some food in her, and with the little amount of sleep she'd had last night from fretting over these few hours spent with Finn, she soon drifts off.

It's hours later when someone shakes her awake, her eyes focusing on Carole. Rachel retracts her arm (which is somehow slung over Finn's waist) and slowly sits up in bed. Still in a sleepy daze, she smiles at the sight of Finn asleep, too.

"What time is it?" she asks Carole as she throws her legs over the edge of the bed, standing up.

"It's just a little after midnight," the woman explains, "do you want to stay in the guest bedroom tonight?"

Rachel feels herself nodding, and ten minutes later – after calling her dads to tell them not to pick her up – she's sat in the Hudson's small guest room in one of Finn's large plaid shirts, a pair of his shorts drowning her. She feels herself thinking back to how she'd woken up, wondering how the pair ended up like that. Rachel smiles to herself, not hiding the fact that she hopes it happens again.

* * *

Finn smiles at her as she enters his room, over-prepared as usual, and joins him at the bed. Still, the slightest bit of embarrassment rises to his cheeks, not that she blames him. But how was she supposed to know that his Mom was getting him changed when she entered his room to say goodbye on Friday morning? It's not like she'd seen _much_, anyway – just his naked chest – but Finn is clearly humiliated about it.

"Hey," he mutters, and then clears his throat. "How are you?"

"Good," Rachel replies primly, feeling just as nervous as she had their first meeting. "And you?"

He shrugs, "I'm okay." Finn's eyes dart from her to the wall, "look, about last wee -"

"Finn," she stops him before he starts apologizing for something as trivial as this, "it could have happened to anyone."

"I know. I just guess that I'm a little embarrassed." He sighs, "you saw my _Mom_ changing me." Rachel nods in understanding, knowing that Finn is probably humiliated enough that Carole has to do so many things for him, and now someone else has witnessed it.

"So?" she questions.

"So..." he tries to think of a reason why it's bad, eventually just succumbing to silence.

Rachel quickly takes over for him. "Finn, I know your pride has probably taken a hit this week, but quite honestly, I don't care about anything like that. Why should I?" He perks up at hearing this, eyes finally meeting hers, "it doesn't make you any less of a person. And it's not exactly like I wasn't already aware that it happened. It was just... I was so shocked because you were there and you were half naked." She blushes at the mental image.

In a lighter mood now, he manages a smile, "yeah, I kind of was..."

She has no control over the next few words that fall from her mouth, though she wishes she does, "and I was surprised because you were so..._toned_. I mean, I know that you used to play football, but I wasn't quite expecting you to look like you did." And now _she's_ the embarrassed one, biting her lip to keep anything else from slipping out.

There's silence, and then, "you really think that?"

The amount of shock in his voice surprises her, especially when she realizes it's _good_ shock. "Well, _yes_. Considering your circumstances, you've still got a pretty good" - _extremely attractive_ - "body."

Finn smiles, and Rachel manages her own in return despite feeling like she's suffering from word vomit.

"Thanks, Rachel."

* * *

"So, I think that we should sing _Faithfully_ this week," he announces before she's even had time to set up.

Rachel turns, surprised at his eagerness. "_We_? I thought that was a solo song."

"Well, it is," he admits, "but I got Kurt to help me turn it into a duet for us. And like, he made the music for it, too. It's slower, but still good." Her smile grows twice in size – Finn Hudson really is the best student ever. If only her comrades in glee were so eager to help as he is.

"Okay," she starts happily, "let's go then. It's not every day that I get to sing a duet with someone who can keep up with me vocally." At this, he grins proudly, Rachel's heart swelling at the thought that it's due to her that he's smiling in such a way. Finn gestures to the sheet music and the home-made CD, and Rachel takes a few minutes to look over it, Finn's insistent gaze on her the entire time. "I think I got it," she nods, starting up the music. The room is suddenly flooded with the soft introduction of the piano. She smiles to herself.

Finn looks nervous as he watches her, licking his lips nervously. Then his light voice joins the piano, as wonderful as ever. "_Highway run / Into the midnight sun / Wheels go round and round / You're on my mind._"

And then he nods his head at her, gesturing that it's her cue. "_Restless hearts / Sleep alone tonight / Sending all my love along the wire._" Finn watches in awe as she sings strongly, throwing her everything into each note. Still smiling, he joins in, "_And they say that the road ain't no place to start a family / Right down the line it's been you and me / And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be._"

"_Oh boy, you stand by me_," she sings, closed eyes opening to look right at Finn. It's just like when she always sings with the boy, that intense feeling tugging at her chest as the music connects them.

"_I'm forever yours_." The pair sing in unison, Finn sweet voice perfect for her own powerful one. "_Faithfully_."

"_Circus life, under the big top world / We all need the clowns to make us smile / Oh, through space and time._" At some point during her next words, she takes hold of his hand, holding it as tightly as ever. He smiles bigger than she's ever seen before.

She echoes the sentiment as he sings with her again, loving the way their voices complement each other, "_Always another show / Wonderin' where I am, lost without you._" Their eyes meet, locking together. "_And being apart ain't easy on this love affair / Two strangers learn to fall in love again / I get the joy of rediscovering you_."

"_Oh girl, you stand by me_," Finn speaks through the song, knowing that Rachel is part of his supports in love.

"_I'm forever yours. Faithfully._"

Just as she's about to join him in some incredible harmonies, she feels movement against her hand, and realizes that it isn't her. It wasn't strong at all – just a ripple of small motions in her fingers that hold Finn's hand.

She looks up at him in surprise, forgetting about the music playing in the background, and she watches the expression on Finn's face slowly change. "My hand just moved," he whispers.

"You felt it too?" she begins excitedly.

"Well, I was thinking about your hand," he starts, stuttering a little when he says that bit, "and I was telling myself how much I want to hold it back. And I just...I felt it move..."

Rachel lets out a giddy squeal, knowing how important the small moments like this are to Finn, each small victory against what happened to him. Not only that, but it's _hope_. Unable to stop herself, she leans forward and throws her arms around him in a hug, squeezing his body as she does so. His smile is irreplaceable.

* * *

She likes being at Finn's when it's not for the singing lessons. Of course, she loves the lessons too, as they involve singing _and_ Finn – two things that she very dearly cares for – but on the days where they're just hanging out together, it's sweet and comfortable, and it just reminds her why she does care for Finn so much.

Sometimes she half expects him to be bitter about his condition (she knows that she would be if she were ever in the same situation) but he's such an inspiration to her, astounding the girl with his amount of optimism about the future, and proving that losing so much doesn't mean that you lose everything. And now, ever since the accident, he reminds her of all the things he has gained. He has better grades for one, a better relationship with him Mom, and the one that he always tells her is that he would have never met her.

"I'm really glad that I did," he always tells her, with a lingering stare and his lop-sided grin.

Heart beating wildly, she always replies with, "I'm glad that I did, too."

Today, they're sat watching reruns of _Friends, _a bowl of popcorn sat on her lap, where she switches between having a couple of pieces herself to giving some to Finn. At first, they'd play a game where she'd try to throw each piece in his open mouth, before realizing that she has the worst aim in human history, and after about ten popcorn pieces hitting his eyes, they'd given up.

They're laughing at a drunk Ross and Rachel in Vegas when Finn decides it's the best time to drop his news. "So, um, I'm moving."

She almost drops the bowl all over the bed. "What? _Where_?"

"Don't worry," he crookedly smiles, "not far. Burt proposed to my Mom, so yeah, we're moving in with the Hummel's." She watches his face as he speaks; surprised to see him a lot less conflicted about the whole situation than the last time they spoke about it.

"And," she begins hesitantly, "you're okay with all this?"

It only takes him a few seconds to nod. "Yeah. Burt makes my Mom happy – _really_ happy. And it's good to have other people to watch games with, you know? Kurt's cool, too, when he's not telling me that my pores are dry, or something like that."

She giggles, hand patting his, "I'm proud of you, Finn."

He grins, then asks, "you'll still come and see me, right? Once we're at the new house."

"Of course!" she mocks offence, "why wouldn't I?"

"I just wanted to make sure," he laughs, "it won't be the same without you there." She smiles, wondering how Finn makes her feel so special and loved in no time at all.

* * *

Finn's practically brimming with excitement when she joins him on a late Saturday afternoon. "Guess what?"

"What?" she asks.

"No, you're supposed to guess."

She sets a look on him, making it fully clear that she's not a fan of this game. And Finn is too impatient to convince her anyway, shooting out his information with the speed of a bullet. "I moved my leg today in physiotherapy."

"You did?" she questions eagerly, filling her new spot on the bed.

He nods, "I mean, it wasn't much, but this time a year ago I couldn't even _feel_ my leg and I'm just…I'm really, _really _happy." She can tell, seeing the emotion practically radiating off of him, "and the doctors say that if I keep improving like I do, I might be able to walk again one day."

Rachel smiles proudly, her heart going out to Finn when she notices the tears in his eyes. "Hey, don't cry," she begins, inching closer and wrapping her fingers around his shoulder.

"Sorry," he begins, trying to blink away the tears. It doesn't work. "It's just that the thought of being able to do things for myself again is pretty... pretty _amazing_."

"I know," she nods, "you've come so far already." Reaching up, she wipes the single tear away from his cheek, smiling up at him lovingly. Her other hand slides from his shoulder down his arm, her thumb gently rubbing at the soft skin in soothing circles. He returns her smile.

"That feels nice," he tells her, closing his eyes contently.

Rachel laughs, gently bringing his arm over hers and tracing patterns with her fingers, in the way that her Daddy used to do when he'd try to calm her down as a child. "What about that?" she asks, watching as his smile grows.

"Yeah, that's good, too."

Her eyes slowly move over his peaceful expression, as always being tugged towards his lips. She wants to kiss him so much, to tell him that she's had a crush on him – although she's sure that it's more than that by now – ever since she met him. Her breath catches in her throat, and suddenly she isn't in control of her body as she leans forward, hovering over him.

Face inching closer to his, she tries to talk herself out of this, but she wants it more than she's wanted _anything_. "And what about this?" she questions, her hot breath brushing against skin before she closes her own eyes, as well as the gap between their lips. It's like the happiness that she gets when she sees Finn, only multiplied by a hundred, and it overwhelms her as every nerve is sparked, brain feeling clouded with joy and excitement, especially as he kisses back.

When she pulls away, sucking in a deep breath, his eyes open. She feels her fingers trembling, but at the same time she can't keep the huge grin from her face.

"I think I liked that," he breathes out, "maybe we should do it again just to be sure."

She laughs, though quickly concedes, kissing him again.

* * *

Rachel finds her way to the new house with little difficulty, noticing that it's definitely bigger than the last one, though Finn told her that Burt has his own business, so it shouldn't surprise her. She walks the long garden path, excited to see Finn again, especially since they kissed. Ever since that day, she's felt as though she's on cloud nine. Now, she's as eager as ever to discuss their relationship and where it's headed, seeing as last time she had to leave pretty soon after the kiss – there just wasn't any time to engage in real, meaningful conversation when her Dad was waiting to pick her up outside.

It's not Carole who opens the door today, instead a middle-aged man, sporting a red cap and a blank expression. He looks her up and down, confusion momentarily slipping onto his features. She supposes that this must be Burt.

"Hello, Mr Hummel," she begins, placing her hands behind her back, "I'm Rachel, Finn's fri - "

"Who is it, dear?" She hears Carole calls from another room.

Burt turns ever so slightly, calling back. "Finn's girlfriend." Her eyes widen slightly at being called that, though she can't help thinking how good it feels, too. "Oh, come on in," he steps back, opening the door further. She does so with a bright smile, waving at Carole who's cooking in the kitchen, before turning back to the man, who stands a little awkwardly in the hall. "He's just through here," he begins.

She follows him down the hall, eyes glancing around the new house, with modern design and large, spacious rooms. Rachel notices more pictures of Burt, with his own son, and then one of the four of this new family, all smiling toward the camera.

Opening one of the many doors, Burt steps into what must be Finn's room. "Rachel's here," he announces, a hint of amusement to his voice. She peers past him to see Finn, his new room looking nothing like his old one, but he still smiles toward her, as usual.

"Hey Rach," he greets.

"Hi," she chirps in response, brushing past Burt to hug her friend tightly.

"I'll leave you two alone," Burt begins, winking at Finn when Rachel can't see. The boy pulls a face toward him, before basking in the feel of Rachel's arms around him.

She soon sits cross-legged on the bed, still peering around at the new décor. "So this is your new room?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "it's pretty awesome. It's like, bigger and stuff, and my Mom and Burt made it so I have my own shower room that makes everything easier."

"I miss your cowboy wallpaper," she pouts, earning a chuckle from Finn.

"I don't."

Beaming, she twists and maneuvers her body so that she's lay next to him on her belly, staring up toward him. "So, I wanted to talk to you," she starts, noticing the way his change moods, worry suddenly seeping in.

"About what?"

She smiles, hoping to put his anxiety to rest. "We kissed," she begins bluntly, "a few times now, and I – I wanted to know what _we_ are. Are we... dating?"

"I want to," he admits, "I just never really had the guts to ask. I kept convincing myself that you wouldn't want to date me, and I guess... I scared myself out of it." He gives a cautious smile, "_do_ you want to date me?"

"Well, _yes_," she states, "I did kiss you. That's usually a hint that you like someone romantically."

"You really want to date me?" he asks in surprise, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he smiles her way. In answer, she leans forward and places a sweet kiss to his lip, then sideways where her own lips brush over those dimples. "I think that's my new favorite thing," he whispers to her, to which Rachel ducks her head, suddenly bashful.

* * *

Watching movies in Finn's room in pretty great, seeing as he now has a huge TV and surround sound, which makes it all the more realistic. She sits flush against his side, hand clutching onto his, where they lay in Finn's lap. It's nice and calm, and somehow the simple moments like this remind her just how much she loves Finn.

She doesn't even realize when she takes his arm, gently wrapping it over her shoulder so that she can snuggle further into his side. Nor does she notice the way Finn smiles at it, but she feels when he twists his neck slightly so he can kiss the top of her head.

* * *

The first time she meets his brother is when she's making her way back from a trip to the bathroom, humming lightly to herself. "So you're Rachel." She jumps at the sound of the voice, spinning in the hall to find him staring toward her, eyes taking in her outfit, though he pulls a face slightly when he sees her owl jumper.

"And you're Kurt," she responds, recognizing him from the photos all around the house. To be honest, she's a little intimidated to meet him – of course, Finn's told her that they very much share passions, but she's never really had any luck getting along with people who also dream of fame. She supposes it's the competitiveness of it all, and not to mention that most are scared of her talent. But Kurt is Finn's brother, so she has to try and make friends with him. "Finn's told me so much about you," she says, adding, "good things!" as Kurt raises an eyebrow.

"Well, every other word that comes out of Finn's mouth is your name, so I feel like I practically know you already." He then smiles, and she feels herself let go of a breath she didn't know that she was holding, "he said that you like performing."

"Like?" she replies, "I _live_ for performing."

Just as he's about to speak again, someone bounds down the stairs, "Kurt, what's taking you so long?" The boy asks, setting this puppy dog look on Kurt.

Kurt smiles at the curly haired boy, "you're so impatient, Blaine." He rolls his eyes, though only playfully, "anyway, I was just talking to Finn's girlfriend, Rachel." He gestures toward her, and she gives a small wave in return.

"Girlfriend?" Blaine asks, "you didn't tell me that they started dating!"

"Finn only told me a couple of days ago," he says defensively. "But does it really matter?"

"Yes, because you owe me twenty dollars!"

"What?" Kurt frowns, then realization floods into his face, "oh, yeah."

But Rachel, still confused, stares between the two with a furrowed brow, lips purses in thought. Blaine notices, quickly explaining, "we had a bet about when you two would get together. I said before school starts again, but Kurt thought after, so looks like I win." He beams smugly, earning a playful push from his boyfriend.

She doesn't know quite what to say to that, "erm, I think I'm going to go back to Finn's room. It was nice meeting you." And with that, she continues down the hall, hearing Kurt mutter, "why did you bring that up? Now she's going to think we're weird!" She resists the urge to laugh, joining Finn with a smile.

* * *

Now that she's officially met Kurt and Blaine, that apparently means that they can interrupt her and Finn whenever they like, seeing as it's the closest thing to a "double date" that they can get. While it makes her just laugh and shake her head, for Finn it's a little more frustrating than that.

"I wish they'd stop cockblocking," he mumbles when the two leave their movie viewing to go and get drinks for everybody.

"Finn," she giggles, leaning into him further, "they're not..._cockblocking_. They just want to spend time with us, is that such a crime?" He grumbles something that she doesn't quite hear, face sour, "besides, it's nice that you're getting closer to Kurt – he is going to be your brother in a few weeks."

"Speaking of the wedding," he begins, "will you come with me as my date?"

She beams, tilting her neck upwards so that she can gently kiss his lips. It's great to be able to do that whenever she wants to, which is _a lot_ – not that Finn minds. "Of course," she smiles against his lips.

* * *

It's her who's seemingly down that day, talking a lot less than usual, and even less so about herself. When he catches her giving a wistful sigh for what must be the tenth time, he finally has to say something, "babe, what's wrong?"

She blinks a couple of times, moving her attention from the TV to Finn's worried face. She sighs, _again_, and doesn't even bother trying to smile. "Something pretty big happened to me a couple of days ago."

The tone to her voice furthers his concerns, and he wishes more than anything that he could reach out and hold her hand. "Go on," he encourages her, knowing that it must be important if she's acting so unlike herself. He gives her the smallest of smiles, telling her that it's okay – it's him. She can tell him anything.

Sucking in a deep breath, she lets it out. "I met my Mom."

"Your _Mom_?" He balks. She's told him the long story of how her Dads hired a surrogate; a woman who Rachel's never met, but even from a young age has wondered what she's like, and whether they share any similarities as mother and daughter.

"Yes," Rachel nods slowly, not really sure what else to say.

"Where? How?"

Looking down, she wrings her hands together. "I was in the basement, and my dads have all these boxes with things in from when I was a baby. I was trying to find one of my old trophies, but instead I found a copy of my birth certificate, which named a Shelby Corcoran as my mother." She pauses, looking as though she's gathering her thoughts, "the name sounded familiar – I just don't know where I recognized it from, but now that I knew her name, I _had_ to find her. So I did some research, and I found out that she's the coach of one of my rival glee clubs, _Vocal Adrenaline. _And then I remembered her... I've seen her before, at Regionals. She _spoke_ to me – she wished me good luck."

Now, Rachel's eyes brim with tears, and he can't tell whether she's happy or sad, though he supposes she's experiencing a whole host of emotions. "What was she like?"

"She looks like me," Rachel says, the corner of her lips twitching with a smile. "And she has the most _amazing_ voice."

"Yeah, but personality wise?"

"Well," she suddenly becomes more pensive, "I went to one of her rehearsals – Vocal Adrenaline still do them over the summer – and I... I told her that I know. She was shocked, as you can imagine. Still, we sat down and we talked... she seemed nice."

He frowns, "but?"

"_But_," Rachel continues, "she seemed a little scared, or overwhelmed, you know? I asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner, to get to know each other and she didn't really say anything. I think that she wanted to say no..." Dropping her head, she tries to hide her tears from Finn, "I don't get it – what's wrong with me?"

"_Nothing_ is wrong with you," Finn is quick to insist. "C'mere." In an instant, she smiles against his side, laying her head on his chest, and sniffling lightly to herself. "You didn't do anything wrong, Rach. Look, you're right – she probably was just overwhelmed. She didn't expect to go into rehearsal that day and then find you there."

Her fingers clutch tighter on his shirt, head tilting up slightly so she can look at him as he speaks. "And she's probably really confused, too. I mean, I know I would be if I had a kid and then didn't see them for sixteen years." Their eyes lock together, "maybe you should try talking to her again, when you've both had a few more days to think about what you want."

"I want a Mom," Rachel mumbles, her crestfallen expression making his heart crumble.

"I know," he says, "but it's not going to be the running into each other's arm reunion like you get in musicals, Rach. It's going to be hard, and scary." He then offers her a sweet smile, "I'll be here for you, though."

She smiles then, too. And it's not as big as her usual smile, but it's definitely an improvement on her frown. Leaning up, she joins their lips in a chaste kiss. "I love you, Finn."

A flash of surprise appears in his eyes, before the words sink in alongside a blinding happiness. He grins. "I love you too."

* * *

The music blares, Rachel finding herself dancing with Kurt and Blaine, giggling loudly when Blaine spins her on the dance floor, before he throws his arms around Kurt, swaying them both in time with the music. Her eyes move over to the head table, where Finn's sat, Carole and Burt next to him, and she notes how his head bobs along to music, while he'll occasionally look sad.

She quickly tells Kurt and Blaine that she's going - not that they notice as they seem to be doing some pre-choreographed move together – and then rushes back to the table. She drops herself in the seat beside him, sighing happily as the weight is taken off her feet. After so much dancing and being on her feet most of the day, she's getting pretty uncomfortable in these heels.

"My feel hurt," she pouts as she slips off the shoes, pushing them under her seat.

"You just dropped about a foot," he jokes, earning a playful glare from his girlfriend.

Rachel then smiles toward him, hand finding his, "so, are you having fun?"

"I guess," Finn responds, "I wish I could get up and dance with you. You looked like you were enjoying it." His eyes move back over to Kurt and Blaine, before shaking his head at their dance moves.

"I thought you hated dancing," she comments, remembering him saying that he didn't like doing it before the accident.

"Yeah, but if I did it with you, it wouldn't be so bad." He sends her an award winning grin, that quickly earns a smile and deep kiss. Rachel moves her chair closer to Finn, snuggling oh so cozily into his side. She can feel his gaze on her, staring intently, and she cranes her neck to glance toward him. "You look beautiful," he says, eyes drifting over her tight pink dress, lifting to meet her dark, smoky eyes. He smiles.

She returns it eagerly, loving the way that Finn makes her feel so special. "You don't look so bad yourself," she grins, straightening out his bow tie, "who knew that I had such a handsome boyfriend?" Rachel kisses him again, just because she can. Her hand gently cups his cheek, eyes closing as she deepens the kiss, feeling as though she's floating.

As she pulls back, Finn's eyes are elsewhere. "My Mom's looking at us," he whispers, and she spins around to find Carole on the dance floor with Burt, though still smiling adoringly at the pair. "She really loves you, you know." Rachel grins at hearing that – she's thinks Carole is wonderful, too. Finn suddenly chuckles to himself, "she keeps asking me when our wedding is going to be."

He's joking, she knows, but as their eyes meet, she feels a sudden seriousness to his words, her mind instantly thinking to her wedding, where it's hard to imagine anyone but Finn becoming her new husband. She knows it's silly to think about it now – she's only sixteen after all, and Barbra already taught her that marrying young isn't a good idea – but maybe one day in the future, she'll find herself in that situation. Happiness bubbles away inside her, and she rests her head on his chest, sighing contently.

* * *

Rachel moans when Finn slips his tongue into her mouth, and her fingers comb through his soft hair as she straddles him on the bed. She pulls back from a brief moment, eyes glinting teasingly as her other hand slowly heads south, resting just above the bulge in his pants. His own eyes widen as she brushes her fingers over it, breath hitching.

"Rach," he groans. She puts more pressure down, watching the pleasure flooding over his features. It makes her feel heady with power, sending a sultry look toward Finn as her hand begins to slip into the waistband of his pants.

"Finn, we're back!"

At the sound of Kurt's voice, Rachel practically flies in the air, dropping down on the side of the bed next to a flustered Finn. She has to clutch at his arm to stop herself from falling off the mattress, before she glances up to a sheepish looking Kurt and Blaine in the doorway, who take one look at their swollen lips and wide eyes and know exactly what they just walked in on.

"Kurt!" Finn hisses, "get out!"

Poor Kurt, looking pretty traumatized – especially when he spies the bulge in his brother's pants – lets himself be lead away by Blaine, who apologizes profusely even as they hurry down the hallway. Rachel quickly closes the door behind them, sighing against the wood. Her eyes meet Finn across the room, sending a shy smile his way. "Well, I wasn't expecting _that_ to happen."

Finn is still blushing. "I told you he was a cockblock!"

"Okay, I believe you," she says, joining him on the bed again. She gently pushes some stray hair behind her ear, before peering up at Finn again, "but with any look, he'll be too scared to come in here again. Well, without knocking."

* * *

"So, Finn." Leroy asks as he sits across from her and Finn at the dining table. Despite Finn being a little intimidated about meeting both of her fathers, he'd eventually agreed and now the Berry's are the esteemed guests tonight. "Rachel tells me that you have quite the voice."

Finn smiles toward her – of course she'd tell her dads that. "I'm, er, I'm okay. Not as good as Rachel."

"He's just being modest, Daddy," she beams, her thumb gently rubbing over Finn's knuckles. It's a reassuring touch that keeps him at ease. "He's wonderful. You should hear our rendition of _Faithfully_."

"Finn's liked singing ever since he was young," Carole supplies, peering proudly over at her son.

"It's a very important part of our family," Hiram smiles as he sips at his wine, "our little Rachaela won her first singing competition when she was one year old." He beams, much in the way Rachel does, "we always knew that she was destined for Broadway – she's our little star."

Leroy clears his throat, eyes glancing over at Finn once more. "And what is it that you plan doing when you finish your education, Finn?" Under the watchful gaze of Rachel's father, Finn suddenly feels as though he's two feet tall.

"Well, er...I -" he gulps, not quite sure what to say. He doesn't know what he wants to do for the rest of his life – he's only sixteen. And besides, it's not exactly like there's a huge amount of jobs for people like him.

Thankfully, Rachel comes to the rescue, "Finn mentioned something to me about directing." It's not a lie – well, not a _complete_ lie. A few weeks ago he'd told her that directing would be a cool job to have, and she'd joking said that he can direct Broadway plays while she stars in them, but he never really thought of it as a serious option.

"Directing?" Leroy sounds surprised, "that sounds interesting."

"Yeah," he agrees, "well, it's basically bossing people around, but I guess it'd be a cool job to have. There are a lot of different areas that you can go into." And just like that, he sees the approval in both her parents eyes, internally high-fiving himself. Rachel smiles proudly at him, though she knew all along that her dads would love Finn. If he makes her happy, then they're happy.

* * *

She practically skips around the house and into the backyard, finding Kurt and Finn there, enjoying the later afternoon sun. "Hey guys," she announces, greeting Finn with a chaste kiss. As she takes his hand, she feels him manage to squeeze it back, her smile growing when he does so. With his months of physiotherapy, he's at a point where he can just about move his legs, and his fingers, too.

"How was school?" he asks.

"Okay," Rachel shrugs, "I got to sing one of my favorite Celine Dion songs in glee!"

"Hmm, I'm sure you were great," he grins.

Just as they're about to kiss again, Kurt interrupts, "I'm trying to eat, can you please not sit there swapping spit in front of me?" She giggles, countering with the fact that he and Blaine do it all the time, silencing the boy. As usual, she finds her comfortable spot by Finn's side, easily joining the conversation with the pair. It's moments like this where she feels how truly lucky she is.

* * *

It's dark as she hurries up the path, lit with small lanterns in the flowerbeds. She gently brushes down her soft pink dress and goes to knock the door when it opens instead, finding Kurt and Blaine there. "Oh hey," she greets them. They're dressed up themselves, since they're going to the local theatre to watch the production of _Cats_.

"Yeah, Finn's inside," Kurt says, eyes glistening excitedly.

"Have fun," she tells the pair, who link their fingers together as they begin down the way she's just come. Rachel steps inside, closing the door behind her. "Finn!" her voice echoes through the empty house.

"In here," he calls back, and she frowns when she realizes his voice is coming from the living room. Even when they're alone, it's just easier to stay in his room, seeing as he doesn't have to be moved around so much. But as she steps into the living room, her mouth drops open. The room has been completely transformed with candles scattered everywhere, warming the room with a light glow. And in the middle, Finn's there, smiling toward her as he holds onto a bouquet of flowers with as much strength as he has.

She stands there, completely at a loss for words, but at the same time her smile growing to an impossible size. She feels her feet carrying her over to Finn, looking down at his hopeful face. "What... what is this?"

Rachel gently takes the flowers from him, grinning at the beautiful daisies. She closes her eyes, gently letting the sweet smell surround her. When she opens them again, Finn speaks, "I really wanted to give you a real date – I realized that we've never had one, so... I asked Kurt to help me in here, and my Mom cooked us this meal. I just... I hope you like it."

"Oh Finn," she begins, seating herself carefully on his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck in a tight hold, "I _love _it."

"Also," he adds, eyes gazing at her lovingly, "it's kind of my way of saying thanks."

"Thanks for what?"

"For just... for being you, and being my best friend. I don't really have that many friends, not anymore, but that doesn't matter as long as I have _you_." Trying to ignore the lump crawling up her throat, she dabs at her wet eyes and finally kisses him, smiling against his lips. "I love you so much," he whispers again hers. "And I always will."

His words remind her of a song they sang months ago, and she can't help herself. "_I'm forever yours_," she sings, moving their connected hands his chest where his heart is, "_faithfully_."

* * *

**Oh God, the ending is so cheesy! I hope you liked this ^.^**

**Please review :)**


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